Dragon's End
by Yume-no-Ryuusei
Summary: A millennium after the eradication of thread, few dragons remain. A queen must make the ultimate sacrifice to save pern. "Worlds are lost or worlds are saved by dangers Dragon braved"
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I've been wanting to write this for a long time now, and here it is! Italics denote dragon speech.

Long after the eradication of thread on Pern, Dragons became rarer and rarer, as they were no longer needed. The few remaining joined together in an effort to preserve Pern's history. The only remaining weyr, Benden currently has 15 dragons alive. They were often called upon during plague years and to aid if natural disasters were to occur.

Tessa, rider of the only remaining queen dragon on Pern sat by the lake as she watched her gold Cireth bathe. In her heart, Tessa was sad. Her generation would most likely be the last of the dragons. The strong, beautiful creatures would become a memory of those that had protected Pern. Memory would become legend, legend would become myth, and before too long things will be forgotten that should have been remembered forever. Sacrifices of rider and dragon forever lost will no longer be mourned.

_You are sad_

Tessa smiled slightly, her beautiful Cireth was concerned about her. Dragons often heard the thoughts of their riders, although whether they paid attention or not was entirely up to the dragon.

"There are only two bronzes to fly you," Tessa murmured quietly. She needn't speak loud, for her dragon always read her thoughts.

_Neither could possibly catch me_

Tessa laughed. Renath had been in the same clutch as Cireth's father! In an unfortunate accident, Cireth's mother, father, a bronze and two browns had all perished. That storm had claimed many, but none took the hit as badly as the weyr did. Without a mature queen, no new dragons would be born. The dragons however, had refused to give up until every person had been accounted for. The fatigue of the dragons was so great, that many did not return from between, Tessa's mother included. Tessa was not close to her mother however, as she had been sent to the healer hall at a young age. But that's another story entirely. The only other bronze Managath, was a full two clutches younger than Cireth. The rider T'rin was a mere 11 years of age. Younger ones were chosen, to start mating flights at a younger age. The weyrfolk were trying to prolong the extinction of their beloved dragons, the only thing remaining of their ancestors.

_I itch_

"You wouldn't if you didn't bath in icy cold water," Tessa scolded affectionately. It was a short walk back to Benden Weyr. They did not fly, for Cireth's harness was being repaired. Although the queen was nearly full grown now, inbreeding prolonged the patchy skin associated with immature dragons up until the first mating. Tessa paid good attention to Cireth, her beautiful queen by oiling her hide daily, more if needed. Tessa was one of the few who was blessed to hear dragons, and that is how she ended up being able to impress a queen. One urgent dragon voice in particular caught her attention.

_My hide burns and itches!_

Tessa went into a fury. She knew exactly which dragon it was, the young bronze, the only one young enough to ever mate with Cireth. The last healthy bronze of Benden was being neglected! Tessa herself oiled the very young Managath. He was the very last clutched before the previous queen had died. He was a mere four months old, but time had been playing by quickly. The crack under his left wing was not severe, and would probably disappear once he achieved full size and his hide thickened a bit.

_Thank you, __Tessa_

The young bronze rumbled in contentment.

"What are you **doing!**" an infuriated T'rin greeted Tessa.

"And what are you doing?" Tessa countered. At 15, she was becoming a tall slender woman with good bone structure. A descendant of the Lady Lessa herself, Tessa was a spitting image of the last true Ruathan.

"I'm not doing anything!" T'rin whined.

"Exactly! If Managath's crack had opened more, he'd never fly Cireth, you'd never become a weyrleader, you are such a pathetic excuse of a rider! You could doom the entire dragon race by being so careless!" Tessa's cheeks were hot, her blood felt as if it was boiling. Slowly, she managed to relax, her anger being unleashed on T'rin.

_T'rin is too young to be a dragonrider. The bond is weak between his dragon and him.. I would rather not fly than force you to be weyrwoman with T'rin as your weyrleader._

Mentally, Tessa replied, "but that's not fair to you! Managath is a noble bronze and will grow to be strong if T'rin ever learns to take care of him. Managath would be a wonderful mate for you.

_ My only true mate is you, Tessa _

Tessa smiled. Her dragon was the best, the best to ever live. Cireth was big, as big as the fabled Ramoth was, for Cireth occupied Ramoth's old weyr, disused for nearly a thousand years, for the large stone couch was far too large for any later queen. But it fit Cireth perfectly. Cireth still had a bit of growing to do, and Ramoth's couch may in fact be too small. Tessa retired to the weyrwoman's quarter. She wasn't weyrwoman yet, her dragon had yet to mature fully. However Tessa acted as if she was, Cireth was the only queen dragon. As soon as she was flown, Tessa would officially be weyrwoman. She had learned much over the past 5 years living in Benden weyr. She had once been the apprentice to the master healer himself. However when Tessa was searched by the blue Rinth, the ancient Ruathan blood tingled, she longed to ride gold.

_And I longed to have you_

Tessa laughed quietly. "So you were listening?"

_I always listen to you, it amuses me_

Tessa curled up into a ball next to Cireth, who placed a protective wing over Tessa to keep her warm. They often spent the night together.

_You are tired, let us sleep.._

And so they did, together for the bond between dragon and rider was so strong, they even dreamt together.

The future weyrwoman was awoken by B'non, brown Branath's rider.

"Forgive my intrusion, but you've been summoned,"

"Where?" Tessa asked sleepily.

"The master healer asks for your aid,"

"Alright, I'll go, is Cireth's harness repaired?"

"Yes, I'll go fetch it for you," B'non said quickly.

_You like him_

"I do not! At least not in the sort you're implying! He's responsible, he would make a much better weyrleader than T'rin ever could!"

_I would let Branath fly me_

"No! That isn't a good idea! Browns don't fly golds well, the only mating flights I've seen where a brown flew, he either lost miserably, or wore his heart out trying to catch the queen! Besides, longer mating flights mean larger clutches,"

_ Our number dwindles not because of clutch number, but because we are no longer necessary. We were made to be protectors, we are now just a burden, waiting for our time to come._

"You are worth much more than that, my dear queen,"

_It is more important to have a strong weyrleader than a strong clutch, and if it brings us both happiness, then it is to be our fate, is it not?_

"We'll just have to leave it to them, I suppose if the brown can catch you then he is superior!"

_It is not only the fastest dragon, but the most clever, the most supported, and the one the queen prefers, you know that don't you?_

"Then we have nothing to worry about, right? T'rin's bond is weak with his dragon, he will not be able to control Managath properly, whereas B'non will guide his dragon and win you,"

_He will win us._

Tessa smiled. Her dragon was a part of her, if a dragon flew her queen, Tessa was sure to pair with that rider, it simply couldn't be helped. Cireth always understood Tessa's desires, no matter how hard she tried to hide them. Cireth would fly soon, maybe within the next 5 months. Tessa wondered if Managath would even be fully mature. Immature bronzes could never win, they were not clever enough, they did not have enough experience in flying to catch a queen. Branath, the brown however was a clutch older than Cireth, and was so large, that he was as big as the last bronze that flew a queen. Tessa had renewed confidence in the future.

B'non returned with Cireth's harness, and helped Tessa put it on. It's not that Tessa couldn't do it herself, it was that he secretly wanted to spend time with Tessa. When she had first entered the weyr at age ten, and he was fourteen, he had hoped she would impress gold. He had often been troubled, knowing that bronzes always won over browns, but Branath had comforted him, as he did now.

_I will catch Cireth for you, I will try my hardest. Managath's rider is far too weak to be weyrleader anyways._

B'non replied to his dragon_ "Thank you, my wonderful brown,"_

_ Tessa..._

Cireth was speaking quietly to her rider. Tessa replied "Yes, my lovely queen?"

_I overheard B'non and Branath, did you?_

"I didn't wish to eavesdrop,"

_Branath said he's going to fly me!_

Tessa hugged Cireth passionately. Relief flowed through her. Tessa did not wish to deal with T'rin, if at all possible. Tessa shuddered at the thought of being mated with that..child.

A/N: Yay, chapter one is complete! If you see any errors in this, as always please let me know! Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, thanks for reading!

Updated: 11/12/09


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Alrighty, here's chapter 2! I Know it's been far too long since I started this story, but I've been a very busy girl! I also updated Chapter one, as a few of you noticed some typos. Oopsies . Thanks to those that reviewed, not only do you help me make my stories better by pointing out mistakes or inconsistencies, but you help keep me going. Without any further adieu, here's Chapter 2! ( Hey, it rhymes..)

Cireth rose high above the weyr bowl, Tessa watched as those below drifted farther and farther away.

_Cireth, my love. To the healer hall!_

In an instant, they were between. Tessa suddenly remembered an age old saying often known by dragonriders in the old times. They would say it as they went between places or times, "Black, Blacker, Blackest..."

The sun beat down cheerily on Tessa's shoulders as Cireth circled around the Healer hall, looking for a suitable landing space. Giving up, Cireth landed right in the courtyard. Tessa dismounted, giving an affectionate pat to her dragon companion.

Tessa was soon greeted by the Master Healer himself.

"Ah Tessa, so good of you to come on such short notice, it seemed only minutes ago that I sent my fire lizard to the weyr to request your aid," The master healer had a terrible habit of droning on and on with flattery when he wanted something, Tessa noted.

"What do you need?" Tessa asked.

She tried to hide her boredom in the errand. But she knew, she needed to make the Weyr look as efficient and useful if they were to survive at all. Over a thousand years ago, the Weyr was sustained entirely on tithings from the provinces that they protected, but tithes came to a halt once thread ended. Now, most holds and halls were refusing to give their young people up to search, and the weyr was now in danger of running out of people to impress dragons.

"Well, it seems a strange illness has been gripping Fort Hold, and they're fresh out of medical supplies. I would also very much like to go over there and see for myself what the symptoms are," the Master Healer said.

Tessa rolled her eyes.

"Couldn't you have told your fire lizard to bring several dragons? And not just me?" Tessa was becoming inpatient at the Master Healer's lack of foresight.

"Well, I didn't want to drag a bunch of you out here in case you deemed my case.. not worthy,"

Tessa smiled. There were still those in Pern that respected dragonriders. She talked to her dragon.

_Cireth, call Branath. He's a good strong dragon, he'll be able to carry supplies. Don't you dare call Managath, he's got a crack in his hide._

_I would not have dreamed of calling Managath, regardless of his skin condition. I do not __believe you would like to deal with T'rin._

_ Ah, you are very thoughtful, love_

Just then Branath and B'non appeared above them, landing hastily. The dirt and grass where they landed was now freshly tilled. Tessa winced slightly at the vibrations of the heavy dragon landing. Branath needed more training in making appearances.

"Tessa, Cireth called me, what do you need?" B'non asked, eager to please the future weyrwoman.

"You need to carry a bunch of medical supplies to Fort Hold," Tessa stated.

Just then, some apprentices came out of the stores carrying large bags of supplies. B'non tied them tightly onto Branath, leaving barely enough room to slide onto his back.

"How much can a dragon carry...?" The masterhealer asked, some what worried.

"As much as he thinks he can," Tessa said, laughter in her eyes. Every dragonrider knew of how the dragons eradicated thread, by depositing huge explosives onto the Red Star. Those dragonriders, are ones that should never be forgotten, Tessa thought.

Branath leaped into the air and disappeared _between_.

"All aboard!" Tessa said jokingly to her former teacher.

Once the MasterHealer was situated comfortably, Tessa leaped onto Cireth's back with ease.

_We're going to Fort Hold, my dear_

_ I know_

About three seconds later they were hovering over Fort Hold. Cireth landed right at the entrance, pausing only enough so that the MasterHealer could depart. Tessa noticed B'non helping a servant with the supplies.

_He has a good heart_

"Indeed he does," Tessa mumbled aloud.

Cireth leaped into the air, immediately going between. A moment later, they were back at Benden. The large Queen dropped gracefully into the weyr bowl, landing daintily.

Tessa heard yelling. She could imagine who it was. Moments later, B'non and his dragon landed beside the Queen, this time with a much more graceful landing. Tessa got off of Cireth, and braced herself as the yelling grew louder. She pulled the harness off Cireth, and gave her Queen a good pat.

"Go find somewhere quiet and take a nap. You look a pitiful color."

_The noise irritates me_

With a low rumble, the Queen was off to her weyr. Moments later T'rin stormed into the bowl.

"WHY WASN'T I TOLD WHERE YOU TWO WERE?!" T'rin demanded.

"I'm two years your senior, I do not report to you," Tessa said, with an authoritative air.

"Why was this lowly brown chosen to help instead of my Managath! As future Weyrleader, I demand you answer me!"

"Because your attitude is embarrassing to the weyr. If it weren't for Managath, I'd have kicked you out of here already. Go tend your dragons hide, or it will crack beyond repair." Tessa commanded. She had the same air about her as the lady Lessa had, she could make any person bend to her will.

She did not have to look to make sure T'rin was going, because she heard his curses and muttering fade slowly. She was growing rather tired of him.

"Are you alright?" B'non asked. He genuinely sounded concerned.

"I'm fine, dealing with that idiot is just stressful,"

B'non gave Tessa a weak smile. "If he becomes weyrleader, all in the weyr will probably leave"

Tessa laughed "Of course they would, I'd be leading them!"

B'non rested his hand on Tessa's shoulder. It made her shiver a little, it wasn't the kind of gesture you gave someone who was having a hard time, although that's what he tried to disguise it as. She heard Branath crooning, and knew immediately that B'non was trying to get on her sweet side.

Tessa looked up at B'non. She wasn't short, in fact, she was quite tall, but he was even taller. He had a strange quietness about his face, and eyes that were always calculating. He never spoke or did anything impulsively. He weighed the consequences, thought out all possible solutions. So methodical... he would most definitely make a great weyrleader.

A presence against her lips roused her from thought. Her heart beat felt like it was skipping, everything seemed to just melt away. And just as quickly as it had come, it was gone. She stood there for a moment, savoring the experience. As she opened her eyes, and prepared to talk to B'non about what had just occurred, she noticed he was already heading to his weyr. She decided not to pursue him.

_You enjoyed it_

_ Of course I did..._

_ Humans are strange. Why do they pleasure in exchanging saliva?_

Tessa laughed. Dragons were so curious, always wanting to understand their riders better.

"I guess the same reason dragons croon at each other," Tessa explained

_I understand.. I think..._

"I never knew you actually wondered about these things"

_Why wouldn't I? You wonder about much more things than I do. I have given up trying to understand everything that you process. Only things that truly baffle me do I ponder._

Tessa oiled Cireth profusely. Indeed, their bond was very strong. Many riders did not converse with their dragons in such ways, only when was necessary. Tessa liked speaking with Cireth, in fact, she enjoyed speaking with all dragons.

Tessa knew not when she fell asleep, but only knew she was asleep because of a strange dream she had. In it she saw a woman with dark hair and gray eyes. The woman said little, but imposed with such an intense look in her eyes that Tessa desired greatly to heed her advice.

"Do not let the strength in dragons fall!"

It echoed in her head thousands of times. Tessa bolted awake, and immediately forgot her dream. She panted heavily, looking at the sleeping Cireth. She laid back down, but did not sleep that night. She felt she was forgetting something, something very, very, important.

A/N:End of chapter 2! Yay! As always, constructive criticism GREATLY appreciated. Please report any mistakes as soon as you see them, I want my story to be as well written as possibly. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: yes yes I know I write wayyy too little but I had things to turn in. After my state exams I will have a bit more time to write, thankfully. Don't expect much from me in July, I will be attending vocational school full time! Thanks to those that reviewed, it really does make you want to write more, heheh.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Pern. Or the ideas of dragons and weyrs. Or anything, really. That all belongs to Anne Mcaffrey.

A dragon's bugle informed Tessa of an incoming firelizard. She awoke hastily, slipping on a jacket over her bed clothes. Cireth snored lightly, her hide the color of brilliant sunlight. Sleepily but quickly, Tessa made her way to the bowl where a firelizard hovered, waiting for someone to receive the message. Gingerly, Tessa removed the small note attached to his leg. Immediately the fire lizard went _between._

Fort Hold is in need of you

-MasterHealer

Without wasting time, Tessa reached out in her mind for Branath. He was sleeping, but roused when she urged him awake.

_Awaken B'non. We are needed at Fort!_

Tessa rushed to her weyr and hastily donned her riding gear. Tying her medium length raven black hair out of the way. Cireth was just waking. Tessa oiled a spot that looked dry, and immediately put the riding harness on.

_Where are we going so early in such a hurry?_

"we are needed at Fort"

Tessa leaped onto Cireth's back, who ran to the edge of the bowl and immediately shot up with great power and momentum. Time was not something to waste. Cireth bellowed loudly, ordering other riders to join them. B'non was right behind them on Branath. Then darkness...

They came out just above Fort Hold. Cireth circled once, then landed promptly on the grass, which was now dying from being trampled by constant arrivals. Cireth was hardly on the ground before Tessa slid off fluidly, B'non hot on her heels. She did not knock on the hold door, but pushed it open, in a rush. She made her way to the infirmary, where she was greeted by the Master Healer.

"Thank heavens you've arrived so quickly, my child.." The healer seemed to have aged decades in the five years that Tessa had been at Benden Weyr.

"What do you require?" Tessa forced back a yawn. She was very tired, but knew this was more important than beauty sleep.

"Two days ago a caravan set out for Ruatha, which has not come down with this illness just yet. The caravan is most likely going to bring the sickness to them! You must stop them, Fort Hold is officially under quarantine."

"Amarth, Perzenth, go stop that caravan!" Tessa ordered over her shoulder, the two greens bugled their compliance, and their riders, who had came into the room just after her, ran to their dragons, wasting no time in their search.

"Surely there is more you require?" Tessa said. She had apprenticed as a healer, and had known that when illness struck, many things needed to be done to prevent all out plague.

"I vaguely remember this illness as a child...there is a very effective treatment but I simply cannot remember what it was, or what the illness is. Particularly important is the incubation time..."

"You wish me to go to the Harper Hall and retrieve records?"

"If you find it does not burden you too much.."

"Not at all.."

Tessa nodded to B'non, who was already on his way out the door. He was particularly friendly with the Master Harper. He would find exactly what he needed with good speed.

"Thank you kindly for your aid..." The Master Healer mumbled.

Tessa shrugged off the gratitude. The infirmary was full, some were on blankets in the hallway, eyes discolored, shivering despite high fevers. She helped the master healer, as she had in years past. It interested her slightly that as a dragon rider she would still do such things. But before a dragonrider, she was a citizen of Pern. One that could help. She knew not what time it was, when the wailing of the sick was subdued to low groans of discomfort. She sank to the floor, exhausted.

_It is very late. All at the weyr have gone to sleep already._

Wearily Tessa made her way to her dragon. She hadn't the strength to climb onto her dragon's back. Cireth flattened her body and used her foreleg to aid Tessa up. She had never seen her rider so utterly exhausted.

By the time they had gone between and landed softly in the weyrbowl, Tessa was fast asleep. Cireth called B'non, who painstakingly carried Tessa to her quarters, arranging her comfortably under the wherhide blankets. He smiled slightly at her delicate features. So beautiful, but never to be his. He explicitly explained to all that Tessa was not to be awakened unless thread fell. All understood his seriousness, except for T'rin, who boldly said,

"There is no thread!"

B'non turned on his heel, calculating eyes searching T'rin for some reason not to pulverize the immature brat. A rumble from Managath's weyr made T'rin wince. At least his dragon had some sense.

B'non himself did not sleep, instead he took stock of supplies. Usually Tessa did this duty, but he decided it best to make it less for her to worry about. When he was done he sighed heavily. He never realized what a daunting task it was. He was awoken by Tessa, who had come into the supply room in search of more oil for Managath's hide. T'rin had neglected his dragon, once again.

"I'll go take care of it, you get yourself some _klah_. Brewed some fresh not too long ago"

B'non offered, taking the jar of oil and quickly walking to Managath's weyr.

Tessa welcomed the gesture, and sat down at the table with a cup of _klah_. It was warm and comforting, with just a little bit of spice...much like B'non.

_You desire him..._

Tessa laughed quietly. Cireth was now awake.

"I must have been really tired last night, I don't even remember crawling into bed!"

_That's because B'non carried you to bed_

Tessa felt warmth in her cheeks. Had she been that asleep that B'non was needed to get her to bed?

_I asked him to. You needed rest..._

Shouts arose from Managath's weyr. Tessa decided to investigate. T'rin was screeching like a child at B'non, who ignored him, oiling Managath intently.

"He's MY DRAGON! NO ONE ELSE SHOULD TAKE CARE OF HIM!"

"We wouldn't if he didn't need it desperately because you, obviously, neglect him," Tessa spat.

"Shut up, you're not weyrwoman yet!" T'rin put his hands on Tessa's shoulders, pushing violently. She moved one half step back, then glared. She was a full 6 inches taller than T'rin, who in actuality, was quite small.

"Need I remind you that riders who neglect their dragon, embarrass their weyr and disrespect their elders will be exiled to the Southern Continent?" Tessa said quietly, her height and influence within the weyr speaking for itself. T'rin gulped and grabbed the oil bottle viciously from B'non. T'rin then oiled a new crack forming under Managath's jaw. Tessa left the room, anger not diffusing. Usually, she would calm down once the situation was settled. Something about the way T'rin acted and spoke irritated her. More than pubescent arrogance, it spoke of a personality trait that simply would not dissipate as age and maturity set in. She sat down heavily by the stove, stirring the soup one of the other riders had already made. It wasn't quite ready yet... A gentle sensation alerted her of B'non's presence. He was untying her hair from the pins she had wrapped it in quickly.

"From now on, I'll deal with T'rin. You have more important things to worry about, like taking care of those people at Fort. That's not something I can really help you with, though I'll try in any way that I can," He spoke softly to her. She felt tensions easing. B'non withdrew a wooden hair comb from his pocket, well polished. He began to run it through her hair gently.

"It was my mother's, you know. My father gave it to her when they first met,"

"Then.. why is it that you now have it?" Tessa asked.

"She died giving birth to me.. my father gave it to me before I came to the weyr, he told me if I fell in love with a woman..then she should be the new owner of it," B'non said.

He kissed the top of her head lightly. He braided her hair adeptly, using the comb as an anchor.

"I've known, since the first day I saw you, before you even impressed Cireth, that you were going to be the woman I gave this to,"

Tessa turned around to face him, deep turquoise eyes looking up at him questioningly.

"I love you, Tessa,"

Updated: Friday, November 13, 2009.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I updated chapters 2 and 3 to (hopefully) make them a bit easier to understand. As always, constructive criticism is appreciated!

Tessa was absolutely shocked. B'non...loved her? Later she would curse herself for not admitting her own feelings, for they were rudely interrupted moments later. A'mar and P'nen, riders of green Amarth and Perzenth raced into the room.

"We were too late!!" A'mar yelled, out of breath.

"The caravan was already at Ruatha, and the whole hold has come down with the illness!" P'nen exclaimed, exasperated at his failure.

"Shards!" Tessa slammed her hands down on the table. She paced back and forth for only a moment, before deciding on what to do.

"Both of you, to your weyrs! You are too tired to be of use. B'non, awaken bronze Renath. We will need to go to the Healer Hall." Tessa ordered. In trying circumstances, when others would panic, she always kept her head clear.

The three men obliged to her commands, immediately dispersing. She herself got into her riding gear and put the riding harness on Cireth. Within five minutes, Cireth, Renath and Branath were landing in the main courtyard of the healer hall.

By the time Cireth landed softly, Tessa was off her dragon and racing up the steps. She nearly knocked over the feeble masterhealer, who happened to be walking out the door as she was going in.

"We were too late! Ruatha has the illness!"

The Masterhealers face looked grave.

"If you would take me to Ruatha, I'll see what can be done..I have learned much about this illness from helping those at Fort,"

Tessa assisted the Masterhealer onto Cireth, before sliding on in front of him.

"To Ruatha!" She commanded. All three dragons rose, and blinked _between_ in unison.

Cireth had some difficulty finding a suitable place to land, and finally settled on the field just outside of the hold. The other dragons followed her example. The masterhealer bolted off into Ruatha, to see the damage that had been done. As the dragonriders followed at a slightly less hurried pace, they became aware of a stench. Soon they found out what it was. Bodies of those that had expired littered the halls. There was no one to remove them. Tessa asked B'non to count bodies. Her and Renath went around searching for those still clinging to life. The illness had hit them very hard. Cireth and Branath began carrying bodies from the main court to the nearby swamp to decompose, where they would not spread illness further. Several hours later and with a heavy heart, B'non reported to Tessa.

"Three hundred fifty dead" he turned away from her slowly. This was not the first time plague had swept through hold and hall in such a manner.

"There are ten who do not seem to be ill at all.. B'non, please escort them to the healer hall, and make sure they are placed in quarantine." Tessa said slowly. B'non could see the anguish in her eyes. Ruatha.. she herself was a descendant of this hold. Many of the great dragonriders were Ruathan, although because of the warlord Fax, all but the lady Lessa has been killed.

By the evening, all but a few of the dead had been removed. Those who were sick, but alive were being treated by the MasterHealer's apprentices. There were only one hundred fifty of them, they were the strong ones. The youngest was aged nineteen turns, the oldest aged twenty nine. All that were older or younger had been killed. Tessa brought the MasterHealer back to the Healer Hall. Her and Cireth bathed in the lake next to Benden Weyr. The water was refreshing, the air clean and cool. Tessa's mind wandered to B'non, and what he was doing. The dragons and their riders had retired from Ruatha, on call if they were needed. She reached her mind out for Branath. He was training with B'non, probably practicing softer landings. She smiled slightly, weyrleaders who were constantly working to be more efficient were ones that would lead a weyr best. Her mind reached out for Managath, who most likely needed to be oiled. To her surprise, he was in his weyr, T'rin oiling him. Most likely after a scolding from B'non, however.

_I would like to be oiled now_

Tessa smiled and said "Of course, dear heart," and started walking back to Benden weyr, Cireth at her side.

_I will fly soon..._

Tessa regarded her dragon with mild surprise for a moment. Although it was true Cireth was quite large, she was a bit young to be flown yet. Mating flights were usually done by queens who were several turns old, and Cireth was just barely two.

"Cireth, you are much younger than queens usually are when they are flown"

_I need to fly, and be flown. We need true weyrleaders, and a new clutch of dragons._

"How would you know this?" Tessa asked, a bit skeptical.

_I'm not sure how.. but dragons will be needed!_

Tessa gave her queen an extra good oiling that night. Her queen's growth had tapered off significantly, but was now filling out a bit. Tessa made sure to put extra oil on a spot that looked as if it may crack, but hadn't yet. She would never let a crack appear on her queen! With a content dragon, Tessa headed down to the lower caverns and settled down with a cup of _klah_ in the record room. She flipped through records, many that needed to be copied as they were old and faded. She detested the stench of old, stuffy wherhide, but longed to find a solution to the illness spreading across Pern. Unfortunately, she found little. Her throat itched a little, so she absent mindedly coughed a few times, and sipped on her _klah_.

"Tessa..." B'non whispered.

She looked up from the record and looked at him, wondering what he desired from her.

"Yes?" She asked.

"You coughed.." He said, quietly and slowly.

"So? My throat itched," She reached for her _klah_ and took a long sip.

"The first symptom of the plague was coughing.." B'non had a slight worry in his voice.

"It's probably just from the dusty old records. Think you could have some apprentices copy some of these?"

"Sure.. I"ll ask them first thing in the morning...but you should probably get some sleep,"

He was kneading the tops of her shoulders and neck, in no less than a sensual manner. Tessa purred a little, her shoulders were tense from leaning over the records. She stood up, receiving a kiss on the cheek, and made her way to her weyr, where she was certain she was asleep before she even hit the bed.

B'non sat down heavily. If Tessa did have the illness, who else in the weyr would come down with it? Would..she even make it? Those that had survived were usually around twenty turns old.. Tessa was very young, only fifteen turns old. B'non told others in the weyr that if Tessa chose to sleep in late, then she was not be awakened. He did not sleep well that night, he could not stop worrying about Tessa. If she couldn't hold on.. Cireth would go _between_ and never come back. The last queen of Pern would be gone forever. He told one of the younger riders to make sure that she took it easy the next day.

He awoke at dawn, and took it upon himself to go to the healer hall and see if anything was required. Branath woke slowly as B'non was attaching the riding harness.

_It's early...Can't I sleep more?_

"I'm afraid not, we need to go to the healer hall, see if we can help there, and then stop by the harper hall to see if they've dug up some records for us," B'non said, trying to make the matter seem lighter and more fun than he knew it actually would be. He slid onto his dragon's back, and they rose high above the weyr bowl, disappearing _between_.

Tessa woke a short time before midday. Her throat was dry and itchy. She sat up slowly. Her head felt heavy. She chalked it up to sleeping in so late. Slipping on her soft leather boots, she made her way to the lower caverns, where she found a pot of fresh _klah_ and stew waiting for her. After helping herself to several bowl fulls, she reached out for Cireth.

_Yes?_

"I was just wondering where you were," Tessa said aloud. She could tell her dragon was in the hunting grounds, as the response had come slowly, but full of excitement. She wondered for a moment, why dragons thought hunting was so much fun.

_The same reason humans find it fun to walk around all day at gathers_

Tessa laughed a little, because she had never before thought gathers so strange a thing until now, and in a way, it probably was a little odd to a dragon. However, her laughing fit quickly turned to a coughing fit, and Tessa's blood chilled. It wasn't just the dusty records. She brought up a small pot of klah to her weyr, and remained there the entire day. The rest of the weyr couldn't know she was sick. She had to always be strong, for she would soon be their leader.

A/N: UPDATE: June, 23 2009 9:02 pm So, as a reviewer mention, numbers should be spelled out. So I did that. A few minor tweaks, as well


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Here it is, chapter 5! as always reviews and constructive criticism is always appreciated!

Tessa was dozing off when B'non entered the weyr, quietly.

"Tessa?" he asked gently, afraid to wake her if she was asleep.

Drowsily, Tessa sat up. She could feel her pulse within her head. Her throat was tight and irritated. Hoarsely she said "Yes?"

"I found what I could from the Harper Hall records..honestly there simply wasn't much there. Seems every so often there is a plague that sweeps around, and as our ancestors noted from files within AIVAS, the viral infection constantly mutates, until it eventually becomes harmless, then will mutate back and become deadly."

He paused for a moment and took a good look at Tessa. Her lymph nodes were considerably swollen, sweat was collecting around her hairline. She most likely had a fever..he stopped his thoughts and continued. "The best solution is to place every hall and hold under quarantine, and simply wait it out. Have the recovered care for the sick, as they will not be able to catch it again."

Tessa nodded weakly. B'non stood up and gently pushed her shoulders down onto the bed. He dimmed the glow basket and whispered gently "Sleep, recover. When you are well you will have a weyr to lead..." He took one last look at her and left. Even very ill she still had..such stark beauty.

Later in the day B'non returned with a pot of _klah_ and a bucket of cool water with a cloth. He placed the dampened cloth on Tessa's forehead, hoping to reduce her fever. She awoke, but was not fully aware.

"Don't worry about anything, I'll keep everyone in line, while they believe that you are trying to figure out a way to stop this.. plague. I oiled Cireth a few minutes ago, so just rest.." He reassured her.

B'non gripped her hand for a single moment, wishing to cure her of this illness. Her face was pale, and Cireth was a poor color as well. He shivered for a moment at the thought of the last queen dragon on Pern disappearing _between_. B'non kept the rest of the weyr busy by requiring them to transport supplies from Nerat to holds over come with the illness. Nerat hold, being a favorable climate had a large abundance of food supplies; to aid holds too stricken by illness to do cropping. B'non himself brought the Masterhealer wherever he desired, often making three trips a day, and was proud of the renewed confidence the Pernese had in the dragonriders. As always, dragonriders and their dragons would be a necessity to the survival of the people of Pern.

B'non sat by the lake one night, Branath taking a midnight dip. He contemplated the future of the weyr. He pictured Cireth in her first mating flight, rising high into the clouds, Renath, Branath and Managath pursuing her. Her hide glistening like the sun, Branath beating Renath and Managath easily and claiming Cireth..claiming Tessa. His mind dreamt of days of old where there were full weyrs, a minimum of four queen dragons.. and at least six or seven strong, well matured bronzes to fly each one. As he stared lazily at the water, and the stars eons away, a red flash caught his eye, then was gone. He blinked several times. He was probably just tired. He hadn't realized he had been dozing til he awoke..he could not remember his dream, but a single sentence echoed in his head imperatively..

"_Do not let the strength in dragons fail!"_

The voice was decidedly feminine, although that was all that he could decide. He rose, slowly. His back and neck ached, he had been dozing for a while. Branath was laying near him, also half asleep.

"Branath..let's go back to the weyr.."

_But it's nice here..._

B'non swore he detected the dragon equivalent of a yawn in Branath's tone.

"You're used to sleeping on a stone couch, but I prefer a soft fluffy bed!" B'non scolded mildly. Branath rose slowly, using his forelegs to pull his rear end up. B'non climbed on, and with one swift motion Branath leaped into the air and disappeared between.

Tessa slept fitfully. Every few hours she would awake with a coughing spell. She was thankful for the _klah_ laced with numbweed to stifle the painful sensation in her throat. She kept having the same dream, and awaking in a cold sweat, but could not remember it, however she wished she could. There was just..something so important about it, something that must not be ignored, although she couldn't place her finger on it. Cireth was asleep, although Tessa didn't have to see her queen to know she was an awful color. Cireth needed to feed, and refused to do so until Tessa felt better. The bond was just too strong between them, her queen would not be satisfied until her rider could come join her to the feeding grounds. Tessa calculated in her head how long she had been sick. She couldn't think straight, a pulsing pain in her head distracted her. Was it three days? Or was it four now? What time was it, even? Out of boredom she listened to other dragons. Only one was awake, bronze Managath.

"Managath...are you well?" she asked, quietly.

_"Unusual of you to ask that of a dragon not your own,"_

"I worry about the bronze that may fly my queen," Tessa said, later wondering if her response had seemed a bit abrupt.

_"I am well..T'rin has been more diligent to my needs..he desires the weyrleader position,"_

"If that is so, he has much to learn!" Tessa said, but only to herself.

Tessa suddenly became aware of another presence within the weyr. Brown Branath was returning, although she had no idea from where.

"Branath, where have you been?"

_ "To the lake for a midnight swim"_

_ "_Was the water nice?"

"_Very warm, you would like it,"_

"I'm sure I would," Tessa paused to cough for a moment, when she reached out again, no response. Branath was most likely sound asleep, as she should be. But for some reason, she seemed to have endless energy at the moment. Gingerly, she slipped out of bed, moving like an elderly woman down the steps to the lower cavern. She sat down with bread and some soup, and enjoyed the new spices that were sent in from Southern. Although southern had not needed any aid with the illness spreading, they were exceedingly loyal to Benden Weyr, who always helped when the seasonal tides ravaged the coastline. Ah yes, to protect, sworn duty and purpose of the dragon riders. For a moment, Tessa wondered if the weyr truly was necessary anymore. Yes, they helped when disaster struck, whether it was helping a camp abandon when a fire caught the forest, or recovering the shipwrecked they seemed to be steadily fading into the background of Pernese society. With the increase of dolphineers in Southern, where the strong squalls were rampant, dragons were scarcely needed.

B'non sat down next to her. He placed his hand gently over hers.

"Any news?" She asked quietly.

"None..I'm sorry.." He said.

She took note of the bags under his eyes. They were deep purple, his whole body was strained. Now that she thought of it, his voice was a bit frail when he spoke to her.

"You've done plenty, B'non. Get to rest before you fall ill, then you will be no use to anyone," she scolded mildly.

He got up slowly and slinked off to his weyr. She mulled over what records she had found. If there was just something that would make the infection harder to spread- or easier for the infected to survive... wait. Something tinged at the corners of her mind What _was_ it? She hurried up to her weyr, bringing a bowl of fruit. She had remembered that fruits contained vitamins that were immune boosting. She sat on her bed, and brightened the glow basket. She wanted to see well, and definitely not fall back asleep while she still remembered her bright idea. She flipped through the pages slowly, not wanting to miss what she was looking for. Hours went by, she soon became aware of Cireth rousing slowly, that faint mental touch..Cireth was weaker than she was last time she was awake. Tessa became determined to get well soon, she didn't want her queen to be in such neglect. A tear streaked down her face at the thought of Cireth going _between_ because Tessa couldn't overcome the illness.

An alarmed bugle informed her that Cireth had been listening to her thoughts.

_ You will get better. We will both be healthy. We will lead the weyr. We are both young and strong_.

Tessa was mildly surprised at the vehemence of her queen. She resumed her search with renewed enthusiasm. She was about to give up for the night when her eyes caught something of interest. She focused on it clearer:

"As noted in the AIVAS files, all organisms require certain conditions to survive and thrive. If not, they will wither away and easily be destroyed by predators and the elements. The same holds true for illness, more accurately described as viruses. Because in fact it is an organism, the tiniest possible it also has requirements. The body has natural deterrents for disease, raising it's own core temperature to make the condition less favorable. By aiding this process and moving patients to less drafty rooms, and keeping heavy blankets on them, recovery time is reduced with a lessened risk of complications."

Masterhealer Oldive, Final pass

Tessa let out a whoop for joy at her discovery. She awakened Cireth who was in a light fitful slumber.

"We go to Southern, my beauty. I will recover better there,"

_The weather is nice there..._

Tessa got into her riding gear, packing a few necessities. Oil for hide, numbweed for burns and insect bites, a canteen for water and a few changes of clothes. She did not bring the hair comb B'non had given her. She placed it on top of the record where she had found the information- so B'non could use it as well. She decided not to wake him or Branath, they were both so very, very tired. She lethargically climbed onto her dragons back. Cireth rose, not quite as quickly or strongly as she used to.

"To southern, my love!"

_ Black_

_ Blacker_

_ Blackest_

A/N: Yeah, I know it's a bit shorter than what I usually do, but I wanted to end the chapter right then and there, it was just a good cut off point- especially since I may not put chapter six up for some time. Read, review, enjoy and peace and love for all =)

Updated: Friday November 13, 2009


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: It's been such a long time since I've posted, and I know you that read this story are anxious, but it's better to wait for a wonderful chapter than to have rushed chapters every week, correct? Hope you enjoy this next chapter!

Black

Blacker

Blackest...

Tessa held her breath.. it had been more than 3 seconds. She felt dizzy.. things were swirling. She opened her eyes. A cerulean sky greeted her. She sat up slowly, becoming aware of a terrible headache.

_You're awake...you were out for a while.._ Cireth said, a bit concerned.

"Let's find shade before this sun scorches me," Tessa said.

Tessa proceeded to head into a wooded looking area. She found some extremely large leaves from an unknown plant and tied them end to end between two trees as a temporary hammock. She drank some water from her canteen and crawled in. After picking a few bugs off of the leaves, she found it fairly comfortable.

"I'll just rest here for a little while.." she murmured, and was soon asleep.

"Tessa? I brought you some......" _clang._ B'non stared dumbfound at the pot he had dropped on the floor. His eyes slowly rose to Tessa's empty bed. He saw the hair ornament he had given her, a paper underneath.

"Branath..is Cireth here?"

_No, neither is Tessa. They've both been gone two days now. You've been asleep for a while.._

"Gone? Gone where?..." B'non's tongue fumbled out the words.

_Nobody knows. We can't hear or reach Cireth. They disappeared during the night._

B'non felt his body go limp, a tingling sensation worked its way up his spine, giving him chills.

"Gone..between?" He whispered only to himself. A mournful bugle from Branath confirmed his fear. He gathered himself up, and sent the younger riders out to see how the holds were doing. He then retired to his weyr, sank down on the bed, head in hands. Hot tears stung his eyes. An image of Tessa flashed in his mind, her soft, sweet smile. Gone, forever.

It was a hot and hazy afternoon when she woke up. As she stood up, she realized how stiff she was. "I'd better get more comfortable sleeping arrangements.." She said aloud.

_You are better! _Cireth's bugle could be heard a short distance away.

"How long was I asleep?"

_Several days.._

"My goodness!" Tessa exclaimed.

_I have been watching over you. A unusual feline tried to attack you, but I scared it off._

"why didn't you just wake me?"

_"I thought you were better off sleeping.. besides.. it tasted good,"_

Tessa laughed at her dragon's sense of humor. She walked out of the treeline to get a good look at her dragon. A bit better than it was before, but still a pathetic orange color.

"I'm feeling a bit better, let's go hunting!" Cireth bugled triumphantly and lowered herself for Tessa to mount. Tessa hoisted herself, with much more ease than a few days ago, but her muscles felt stiff, and her head spun by the time she was behind Cireth's neck ridge. Cireth rose slowly, perhaps aware of her rider's weakness. Cireth glided effortlessly across the landscape, landing when she spotted a herd of wild bovine. Tessa dropped off Cireth's back and sat on the grass. Cireth bugled loudly and dove after the herd. One, two then three animals later, Cireth lay down lazily in the sun while Tessa sipped water. She would need to find a stream soon.

The pair took a short nap together an woke early evening.

"Cireth, the sun will set soon. We need to find water before it gets dark,"

_I already know where a good stream is, I found it while you were sleeping.._

Tessa gave her dragon an affectionate pat and climbed on. It took mere minutes before Cireth found the stream again, and Tessa managed to fill her canteen. Cireth took her back to where she had hung her impromptu hammock. Tessa sighed. She doubted she could get something better constructed before the sun set. Take some flexible branches, she made a flat bed and covered it with moss, with an overlay of smooth, soft leaves. She wove fern leaves together loosely to form a blanket, and put it on top of the primitive mattress.

"It'll have to do, I'm afraid" briefly, her mind thought of one of the southern holds. If she were to go there, she could be lodged most comfortably. But then she would be a 'burden', something all the dragonriders strive not to be. She'd rough it out another night or two, then return to Benden. She felt much more alive.. and quite hungry. She browsed the treeline for several minutes before finding a juicy redfruit. She bit into it with delight as the sweet juice soothed her throat. She snagged a few more and went out to sit in the sand. The waves just barely reached her toes. She looked up, and saw a star. She looked at it intently, a lone star in the sky. No other stars were out yet. She felt empathy for that star, all alone out there in the night sky, yet still shining it's brightest. She was alone, as well. But soon, she would return, and save her planet.

_You will never be alone...for I am here_

Tessa smiled and hugged her dragon. Cireth's color had gained more yellow tones, and for the first time in several weeks, looked gold. She laid back, stretching out in the sand. As she lay there, she noticed her foot bumped into something. She sat up and examined what it was. An..egg? She stared blankly for several moments, and then realized the significance. There were seven, total. The shell resembled that of a dragon's egg. She whooped for joy as she realized her discovery; a fire lizard clutch!

"Cireth.. it's.. a firelizard clutch!"

Cireth snorted, uninterested.

Very few people on Pern bothered to have firelizards anymore, they along with dragons, declined in popularity and use with the invention of other means of communication involving complicated wires that seldom ever worked.

"Cireth, let's impress some firelizards!"

Tessa woke up early the next morning. She hurried over to the fire lizard clutch. The shells were very hard, they would hatch soon. Tessa gathered redfruits and left them on her mattress for safekeeping. She didn't want to have to run and get food with a clutch of firelizards in her arms. Cireth helped Tessa catch several large wherries, which Tessa cut up with her belt knife. She was glad she had brought it. Tessa laid out the wherry meat on some fronds next to her as she sat and waited for the eggs to hatch. Midday, she saw the first shake. She eased closer, morsel of wherry meat in hand. Her heart began racing as it had when Cireth came out of her shell.

_I knew before I was hatched that I wanted you _Cireth spoke softly.

A crack, then a large split, then before she knew it, Tessa was staring eye to eye with a tiny green. It flopped out awkwardly, regarded her for a moment, then snatched the morsel from her hand. She fet it another, and another, until the hungry beast was fed and sleeping, stomach bulging. By now, several eggs were cracking. The largest, decidedly a queen, was of most interested to Tessa. Queens were the smartest, the leaders. She watched it so intensely that two browns and a blue hatched and ran off looking for food before she could bat an eye. Almost instantaneously, two cracks formed, and then a squawking queen demanded to be fed. Tessa hurriedly shoved bits of meat down the queen's throat, slowly luring her to her lap. The green was easy, by the third piece it was looped on her arm. This queen was intelligent, and timid. She kept trying to snatch the food and run, but had to return because she was still hungry. Eventually, she ended up curled up on Tessa's lap, content and sleeping. By then, one egg remained. It did not move.

Tessa wondered if the fire lizard inside simply did not make it. She picked it up and felt of it. It was warm, but not as warm as it should have been. She felt a slight tremor from within the egg. She punctured the outer shell with her thumbnail, and aided the undersized firelizard out. It was a bronze, half the size it should have been. It did not demand food, just lay limply in her hand. She managed to pulverize a bit of meat between her fingers and get it to eat. She doubted it would live. It ate slowly, taking nearly an hour to eat it's fill. It slept on her shoulder. She managed to scoot over to her bed without awakening the sleeping lizards clutching to her clothing. She was fast asleep before her head hit the mattress.

Tessa awoke the next day to the hungry whimpers of the young firelizards. With renewed strength, she sat up. Her head didn't spin, and her cough was gone. She oiled Cireth and her fire lizards, then got into her riding gear.

"Time to go home,"


	7. Chapter 7

A/N:Wow, over 25 reviews! This is the most I've gotten for a story so far. Thank you all for sticking with me and helping me make this story as good as it possibly can!

"To Benden Weyr!". Tessa felt the cold familiarity of _between_. One, two, three... Abruptly they were over the weyr bowl. They swooped down and landed. Tessa called out loudly "I'm back!"

The fire lizards chased after her, tweeting happily. The bronze, Kinzeth sat on her shoulder. Her own voice bouncing back was all that greeted her. The place was desolate. She wondered, was she too late? She wandered about, and found a few pieces of broken furniture. In the stores, what little remained had gone afoul, a single fruit remained on the table, shriveled and dried up.

_ Funny.._ Tessa thought. It had not been long since she left. She dared to go to the weyrs. She checked several rooms, unsure if she'd like what she'd find. She found nothing, not a soul in sight. She approached B'non's quarters. She knocked softly, knowing all too well there would be no answer. She entered and took the sight in. There were papers scattered on the floor, furniture was upturned. Her eyes rose slowly to his bed, afraid of what she may find. Nothing. She had half expected to see the remains of a man lost to illness, but the bed was vacant. There was something on the table. She picked it up and examined it. Dust had settled, so she wiped it off. Her breath got stuck in her heart, it felt. Within her grasp was a small wooden hair comb. Used for disentangling and ornamenting the hair. She clasped it tight to her chest. She realized where she was now, or rather, _when_ she was.

"Cireth..we timed it.."

_ I did not try to go back in time._

"I know dear, we were both so tired.. but when we are now is not when we came from.."

_ I hear no other dragons_

"We must be in the future..and in the future... there must be no dragons.."

A relatively fresh looking paper caught her eye. She picked it up. On it, printed in large letters in a writing nearly identical to her own, was written "Do not let the strength in dragons fall!".

Somehow, she felt that she had heard this before. She could not remember. She lay on the bed, and emptied her mind of the toils of her day. It took her time to relax enough, to stop the worrying about the constant dragons, of B'non, and more importantly, the future Cireth.

A face formed in her mind, piercing gray eyes held her focus. It echoed the the quote "Do not let the strength in dragons fall". Tessa had seen this face before, somewhere within the weyr. She bolted upright and went to the portrait room.

In this room, those that had done great things for the weyr had been painted and depicted, to be remembered forever. She examined all the female ones. Then she saw it, on the far left, the very first portait. The title beneath said: Lessa, final pass. Directed final fight against thread. Tessa regarded it for a moment in awe. She was face to face with her great ancestor. Tessa had many of the same features that Lessa had, but Lessa's were stronger, harsher.

"C'mon Cireth, let's go back to our own time.."

_ I can't remember when we were.._

"What do you mean you can't remember when?"

_ When we left, I was so tired. I cannot replicate the exact image..an inexact image is what got us here in the first place.._

"Then we can't get home.."

_ I'm afraid not, my love_

"We're lost in time.."

Tessa sat atop her dragon heavily. Her fire lizards careened mournfully. They felt her sadness. She was alone. Cireth rose slowly above the weyr and took them to the lake. The fire lizards splashed in the lake, helping Cireth take her bath, squawking happily. It seemed they had momentarily forgotten the situation. Tessa lay back and closed her eyes. _B'non.._ she thought,will I ever come home to you?

Tessa sighed heavily and closed her eyes. Sleep would not come although she was definitely tired. Something wasn't right. She shifted around. Finally, she realized something hard was underneath her back. She picked it up, figuring it was a rock. As she was about to throw it, the glint of the sun hit it. It had a metallic quality to it. She brushed most of the dirt off of it. It was circular and hollowed. She examined it closely. There were letters carved upon it, B.....n. She couldn't make out the rest. She rinsed it thoroughly in the lake. Polishing it with her sleeve, she tried to read it again. Time and the elements had weathered it, but she could still read it.

"B'non, weyrleader of Pern, rider of Branath"

She smiled slightly. So, B'non would make it to weyrleader. She knew then, what it was. The centerpiece to a riding harness. But why would it be out here, and not in the weyr. Did his harness break? Was she standing in the very spot he had lost his life? A hot salty tear dripped down her face. She missed him very much.

She heard a thundering noise. She turned on her heel to confront it. A herd of runner beast ran raggedly in her direction. "Cireth, my dear. I think it's time for your meal". Cireth bugled happily and set to work. The fire lizards picked the carcasses clean after she had her fill. Only the little bronze did not eat. It was on Tessa's shoulder, waiting to be hand fed. Tessa rounded up some scraps and fed it, it ate with great gusto. Looked like the little one might make it after all, she thought. Cireth sat contentedly at her side as Tessa oiled her. Tessa wondered if she would be alone til the end of her days. Her mind kept racing, she couldn't seem to shake the sinking feeling in her stomach. A tear fell, she wiped it and continued oiling. Her heart felt like it was aching. The tears would not stop flowing. Tessa felt more and more alone every moment. Suddenly, a song came to mind. An old Earth song of unknown origin. She sang it solemnly, her voice ringing out through the area.

Alone for a while I've been searching through the dark,  
For traces of the love you left inside my lonely heart,  
To weave by picking up the pieces that remain,  
Melodies of life - love's lost refrain.

Our paths they did cross, though I cannot say just why.  
We met, we laughed, we held on fast, and then we said goodbye.  
And who'll hear the echoes of stories never told ?  
Let them ring out loud till they unfold.

In my dearest memories, I see you reaching out to me.  
Though you're gone, I still believe that you can call out my name.

A voice from the past, joining yours and mine.  
Adding up the layers of harmony.  
And so it goes, on and on.  
Melodies of life,  
To the sky beyond the flying birds - forever and beyond.

So far and away, see the bird as it flies by.  
Gliding through the shadows of the clouds up in the sky.  
I've laid my memories and dreams upon those wings.  
Leave them now and see what tomorrow brings.

In your dearest memories, do you remember loving me ?  
Was it fate that brought us close and now leaves me behind ?

A voice from the past, joining yours and mine.  
Adding up the layers of harmony.  
And so it goes, on and on.  
Melodies of life,  
To the sky beyond the flying bird - forever and on.

If I should leave this lonely world behind,  
Your voice will still remember our melody.  
Now I know we'll carry on.  
Melodies of life,  
Come circle round and grow deep in our hearts, as long as we remember.

She was surprised at how her voice sounded, she never bothered to sing unless it was at a gather in a large group. Singing was nothing she thought was a strong point. Somehow she felt that the song made her feel less alone. "I'll come home to you.. I promise," Tessa vowed deep within her heart. She would find a way to get home, and get home she shall!

A/N:This song is from Final Fantasy 9. I used it simply because every single word fit so perfectly, and in truth, it's a beautiful song. The title is "melodies of life" and I recommend you listen to it to get the full effect.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N:Here it is, chapter 8! As always, constructive criticism is always appreciated!

Tessa oiled her fire lizards thoughtfully. When she finished she wandered aimlessly for hours, dragon plodding around behind her. She knew that she could picture herself leaving the weyr, and that they could time it back to that image, but it was risky. Being in two places at once could be catastrophic. She sighed heavily. She wasn't even sure if Cireth could make it to the blurry third person image Tessa had in her mind of herself. She lay back on the grass and relaxed. She had all the time she needed, really. When she finally could make it back, it would be as if she had been gone a matter of days.

Many days went by slowly for Tessa. Kinzeth ended up being a perfectly healthy firelizard, trained well for scouting. He often helped Tessa find food or supplies to survive on.

Cireth was now fully grown, and by this judgement Tessa guessed it had been at least three months since she left Benden weyr. Another clue that Cireth had achieved her final size was that her hide was not stretching or cracking, and needed to be oiled far less frequently. One day while Tessa was wandering she heard a rumbling noise above her. She looked up, unsure of what could make such a noise. In the far distance, barely visible, something silver seemed to be materializing. It grew closer and closer, at rapid speed. Instinct took over and she leapt on Cireth and hightailed it to a cave she had discovered. She hid there, waiting, watching. After some amount of time it landed, softly. As she was about to approach out of curiosity, valves opened on the sides of it. Immediately, all greenery in the area wilted. It spread like fire, or a thread burrow of ages past. She mounted Cireth.

"Cireth, we must get away!" Cireth bugled loudly and leapt into the air, fire lizards squawking angrily at being disrupted from their perches. Cireth rose high, thrusting with all of her strength to the heavens, to avoid this sudden threat. They watched from high above. Slowly, all that could be seen was decayed. Spontaneously the device exploded, eliminating evidence that it was ever there. Above her, she heard a loud noise, like wind being bent and torn. She looked up. Just barely visible was another silver device, but then it was gone.

"Let's head to the Southern continent...away from this desolate area.." Tessa said to her dragon.

** Black**

** Blacker**

** Blackest**

The warmth of the Southern Continent quickly warmed Tessa's frigid bones. "Cireth..let's go to Honshu.. maybe we can survive there," They flew straight across, as Tessa had never actually been there before and really did not feel like risking another trip _between_. All they found was a pile of rubble where it had once stood. Strange, Tessa thought as it had been built by their ancestors and had survived until it was re-discovered in the final pass. It was still in use in her own time.

"I guess we'll just fly around and see if we can find something of interest," she said, disheartened.

_You miss B'non_

"Yeah," she whispered, "I do,"

After flying aimlessly for a while, Tessa found the ancient landing site, still standing despite being in disuse. In her own time, it would be bustling with people. Cireth landed up close to the door, then flew off to go hunting. Tessa opened the main door, which hung off it's supports and creaked eerily. Just how far in the future am I? Tessa wondered. She went to the records and rifled through them. She spent hours in there, and was about to retire to sleep when she found one of particular interest.

"There is a specific formula for going _between_ on dragons. It is no longer necessary to have a direct picture in one's mind. A dragon may reach out, after going between, for another dragon to receive it. The timing is difficult, and the receiving dragon must be expecting the incoming dragon, or the incoming dragon will be lost _between_. This method is not recommend, as many fatalities have resulted in trying this jump."

-Lessa, Weyrwoman of Pern, Final Pass.

Tessa stood in astonishment. Lessa had wrote this..for her? Or was it coincidence? Tessa couldn't decide which, her head ached with fatigue. She wearily walked to the main entrance.

"Cireth, we fly! We are going home!"

_Have you found a picture?_

"No, but we still may make it,"

_I don't want to risk you_

_ "_It's our only choice." Tessa said quietly, mounting Cireth's back. She sat there a minute and was dozing off before she knew it. She shook herself awake.

"Cireth, I want you to go _between_, without a definite destination,"

_That is suicide! Never! _Cireth bellowed her protest loudly.

"It's not.. just reach out for Branath. Try to find him in time.. I know it's difficult,"

_I don't know if I can.._

"Dragons can do anything if they think they can. You know how they ended thread.."

Cireth rose slowly into the sky, hesitant.

"I believe in you," Tessa whispered to her dragon.

** Black**

** Blacker**

** Blackest..**

Updated on 1/16/10


	9. Chapter 9

A/N:Haha, it seems many of you didn't appreciate my cliffhanger ending last chapter. Thanks for the laugh to the reviewer who reminded me I'm not writing a tv script. Was cracking up so bad I could barely write this chapter =).Here it is, the anticipated, chapter 9.

_I can't find Branath!_

"Focus everything into it! Call out his name!" Tessa said frantic.

Tessa herself reached out in the cold darkness of between to make a connection with Branath, she had no luck.

_Branath.. we are here... help us find the way home._

They had been between for a while. Tessa began to wonder if they could, in fact, find Branath. Lessa had said that this method of traveling was unpredictable..yet if they would be truly lost, would they have the chance to think? Or would they just asphyxiate in the airless _between _while searching for their own time? Tessa's mind was spinning, and she couldn't control it. She thought she was going to lose her mind when something her her like a slap in the face.

All the dragons in Benden weyr simultaneously bugled early in the morning, minutes after B'non had locked himself within his room, weeping for the loss of Tessa and her queen, Cireth.

_I have found them! They come from far away!_

B'non was stunned at what his dragon said.

"Found them? How? You said you couldn't hear them!" B'non fumbled out of his weyr, racing towards the bowl. The dragons were all in a circle, bugling with great enthusiasm. B'non tried to talk to Branath, but it was as if Branath was asleep, his mind was blank. B'non eyed Branath curiously, his faceted eyes were closed, as were all the dragons in the weyr. The bugling stopped. The silence and tension in the weyr was overwhelming. A single dragon bugled her arrival. Cireth was home.

B'non pushed through the tight circle of dragons to Cireth. Through blurry eyes he saw Tessa stepping down, stronger than ever.

"B'non?" she asked quietly.

B'non blinked his eyes rapidly, forcing away tears. Later he would scold himself for his lack of composition. His arms found their way around Tessa's body, holding her close to him. She was as cold as death.

"I thought.. you were really gone," He said quietly, only so she could hear.

"Never gone.. just a little lost," She smiled at him, and he noticed her eyes too, were damp.

"I want to know what happened.. Branath couldn't find you," said, inquisitively.

"I'll tell you everything..but away from bystanders. We need to talk,"

_I'm going to sun myself. Between was wretchedly cold._

Tessa smiled at her dragon's nonchalance. Managath was prodding her with questions, wondering if she was really okay. Renath wanted to know how she disappeared, but came back.

Squawking over her head alerted her that her fire lizards had made it safely, as well. Observing B'non's confused look as all three perched themselves about her body, she decided to make introductions.

"B'non, meet Kinzeth, a lucky little bronze, Aniceth the queen, and the perky little green is Preth," The fire lizards regarded B'non for a moment, then fluttered off to sun themselves along side Cireth.

"Those fire lizards were fully grown..Tessa.. how long have you been gone?" B'non asked quietly.

"I don't know," Tessa said sadly "A few months, most likely,"

B'non regarded Tessa for a moment. Her raven hair had been sun bleached and was showing red undertones, her skin had darkened considerably, one could pass her off as someone from Nerat or even Southern. She showed no signs of frailty, proof she had overcome the illness.

"So.. going to Southern helped you," B'non said, ushering her to a seat and pouring her _klah_.

"Remarkably so. Within days I was fully recovered, while it seems in the North those who are ill take weeks to recover."

"So that is the solution.." B'non pondered a moment, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"What are you up to?" Tessa asked mischievously.

"Oh nothing much, just a bit of drilling for the younger dragons that haven't seen much action.. and some moving for a few people who need a sunny vacation to recuperate," B'non smiled at her.

"I'll help!" she stood up suddenly, nearly tipping her cup. B'non placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back into her seat, with more force that Tessa thought the slender man possessed.

"You just got back. Let me take care of things for a while," with a wink and a kiss on her cheek, he left, calling out to Branath to prepare to go to the Healer Hall. Tessa thoroughly enjoyed relaxing with a cup of _klah_.

"Cireth, don't tell anyone what we saw in the future.." Tessa said to her dragon.

_Why? Shouldn't we warn them of what's to come?_

"Everyone's already panicked about the disease..I'll take care of this on my own,"

_I'm sure B'non would help you.._

"I know he would.. but he has a weyr to manage," Tessa stood up, rejuvenated by her _klah_. She took a long warm bath and went to bed early. She had almost forgotten how comfortable a bed felt.

The next morning she entered B'nons weyr to talk to him. It had been months since she had really seen him, though only a few days for him. She knocked, then entered. He was asleep. She sat by her bed and waited for him to wake up. After a short while she decided to come back with _klah_. Once he smelled the _klah_, B'non was awake.

"Thanks," he said, gratefully sipping some klah. He stopped drinking for a moment and let out a lung wracking cough.

"Looks like you're going to southern," she said quietly.

"I'll be okay.." He said, "I promise."

"I hope you recover quickly, Cireth will fly soon." Tessa said.

Tessa was very worried. What would happen if B'non was too ill for Branath to fly Cireth? Managath was too young yet to fly, Renath was a bit too old. R'lon would make an okay weyrleader, but his age was showing. "Cireth, do you fly soon?" Tessa asked her dragon.

_Yes...very soon_

Tessa's heart sank. She smiled sweetly at B'non, who was slipping into his riding gear. She wouldn't let him see her doubts, all he should worry about was getting better. She kissed him good bye, and watched him leave on Branath.

_Where is Branath headed? I fly soon!_

"B'non is ill.. he's going to Southern to get better." Tessa said.

A single tear slipped down her cheek. Deep down, Tessa knew he wouldn't be back in time. Returning to her weyr, Tessa found a note on her bed from the masterhealer. There were only ten survivors remaining at Ruatha. They had been hit hardest, Benden had a few hundred, a small fraction of who had been there before the illness struck. Nerat only had three deaths. Tessa slipped into her riding gear and climbed onto Cireth.

_Where are we going?_

"To prepare for the future of course." Tessa said.

Cireth circled high over the weyr bow, waiting for directions.

Sorry that this was so short, but I wanted to lump the next few events together in the next chapter.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Here it is, Chapter 10!

"Let's go to Southern..flying straight," Tessa said to her dragon.

_We would get there quickly if we went between_

"I want to scout for suitable holdings,"

Tessa enjoyed the weather. It was mid autumn, and the air was cool and comfortable. Her thoughts drifted to B'non. She hoped he'd be okay. Although she wanted to mull things over about his condition, her mind kept going to the future. She kept playing the scene over and over, the strange object landing, then all life withering up. Then just as soon as it had come, gone again. Another object over head, but quickly disappearing. What did it all mean? Sweat dripping down her face brought her back from her thoughts. They were entering southern soon, the sun seemed to be beating down on her. Although the northern continent would be nearing winter soon, the southern continent would be heading towards summer.

"Cireth, can you fly a little lower? If there's caves or suitable holding, I would definitely like to be able to see them,"

Cireth lowered to the point where she was just above the tree line. They followed a river, hoping they'd find something within a suitable distance.

_I see some wild beasts..may I hunt?_

"Of course!" Tessa said. Cireth set Tessa down in the clearing then took off bugling loudly.

The beasts had all crowded in a small area, and tripped over each other trying to escape. Tessa walked over, leisurely. She was curious why they all were in that spot, as there was no grass to graze on over there. As she got close, she realized why, through a small crevice in the ground she could feel a cool breeze. It was refreshing. After clearing a few rocks, she realized it was an underground cavern! The opening was narrow, but when she peered in, underneath it was fairly large.

"Cireth my dear, memorize this location so we can come here again,"

_Of course..good hunting here!_

Tessa sat on the grass and contemplated. How many could it hold? Were there any other similar caves? She hated to admit it, but even with large population decrease from illness, she doubted everyone would be able to be moved to other locations before the future catastrophe would take place. The worst part was, she didn't even know how much time she had. But she must have been somewhat successful, because while she was in the future she didn't see a single human soul. Unless..by then, everyone on the planet was already gone. She shook her head, clearing these thoughts.

"I'll go insane if I think of this much longer..Cireth, are you ready?"

_Yes.._

"Let's go back to Benden Weyr,"

Tessa climbed on her dragon and the pair went _between_.

**Black  
Blacker  
Blackest**

The cold air of between was shocking to Tessa, considering she had been thoroughly warmed from the trip to Southern. It was almost mealtime, she guessed by the setting sun. Cireth lowered to the bowl and Tessa dismounted. Shucking off her gear while walking to the kitchen, she listened to the dragons conversing.

_Branath says B'non feels better at Southern. Says he doesn't feel the Northern winds down there_

Tessa identified the speaker as Renath, the senior bronze.

_Cireth will fly soon.. I can feel it.._

Slightly perturbed, Tessa decided it must have been Managath who said that. It was normal for bronzes to be a little on edge when mating flights drew close but..Tessa had thought it would be several weeks before Cireth flew. She bit her lower lip nervously. B'non, she thought, please get well soon! Tessa had been so absorbed in her thoughts she nearly let out a yelp of surprise when she banged her hip into the dining table. Receiving curious stares from T'rin and a few of the weyrfolk, she sat down. T'rin got her a plate and set it down gently in front of her, a gesture that bewildered her.

_He wants to be in your favor.. the flight is soon_

Cordially, Tessa smiled her gratitude, then assumed the blank look riders have when they talk to their dragons.

"How soon, Cireth?"

_I cannot say for certain, but Renath and Managath seem to be on edge_

Tessa ate to distract her mind. When she retired to her weyr that night, she cried herself to sleep. Her fire lizards crooned comfort at her, but it was of no use. Looking back on that evening later, the last thing she could remember was the fleeting thought of running off to Southern when Cireth was due to fly.

The next morning, Tessa was awakened by R'lon, Renath's rider.

"Tessa," he said softly.

She opened sleepy bloodshot eyes and sat up slowly. He took her hand in his and continued what he had planned to say, sitting gently on the edge of her bed. She could tell by the way he looked at her that he had planned every word he was going to say very carefully.

"I know you want B'non to be back in time, but he has to recover. I honestly can't think of an easier way to say this.." he lowered his head slowly, waiting for her response. Tessa said nothing.

"I think, you should not get too wrapped up in Cireth's mating flight. It will only be the first of many, many more to come. If T'rin gets leadership, it would be until she flies again, and I assure you Branath would catch her then." R'lon continued. She could tell he was having a hard time telling her this. He had always supported the idea of B'non being weyrleader.

"And if Renath catches Cireth?" she asked quietly.

"Then I will do my best to be a gentleman," R'lon said, standing up from the edge of her bed. He kissed the top of her hand lightly, and left the room. R'lon was an older man, probably about 40 turns or so. He had done many mating flights before, and Renath had even caught a few queens. It was well known the R'lon never mated with the rider of the queen, unless she chose him. Tessa sighed heavily. It could be worse she thought, much worse.

The day turned out to be fairly typical for Tessa, aside from the unusual attitude from T'rin. She took stock of supplies, sent Aniceth to the healer hall with a message for the masterhealer, and cleaned her weyr. It was not dirty or dusty, but she desperately desired something to keep her busy.. something to keep her mind off of B'non. Unfortunately for her, the next day was more eventful.

Tessa had been reading records from the final pass, of how the dragonriders had aspired to become astronomers and study the stars, and how they were largely unsupported by the people of Pern. Suddenly her heart began to race, she had no idea why. She heard some dragons bugling. She set her book down and began walking to the weyr bowl, the source of the commotion. R'lon found her on the way and grabbed her by the arm, dragging her quickly.

"There's no time, Cireth's about to blood!" R'lon explained hastily. He guided her to the feeding grounds, and clasped her hand tightly.

"Lets her blood, but don't you dare let her feed! Focus your mind and will power into it!" he instructed her.

Tessa took a deep breath, and scolded her dragon for trying to eat the tender flesh of the herdbeast.

"No.." she told her dragon "Blood it.. go for another!"

Cireth bugled protest, but did as she was told. She blooded two.. then three...the large dragon mercilessly killed her pray by attacking the throat and drinking the warm blood.

Tessa looked to her other side, T'rin was not there.

"Where's T'rin?" she asked through gritted teeth. She would not lose control over Cireth

"I sent him on a mission an hour or two ago, he should be back any minute,"

Cireth blooded five herdbeast total, quite a feat for a young queen like herself. A whoosh of cold air informed them that T'rin had arrived. But something was..different. He seemed turns older, but had been gone just hours.

"T'rin went back in time..to grow up, and to give Managath time to reach his full size" R'lon explained.

T'rin slid off of Managath's back and joined Tessa. Managath had grown to almost double his size, muscles rippled under his hide.

"I know the timing isn't desirable, but I need to apologize for my behavior.." he said, eyes fixed on Cireth.

"What do you mean, all of a sudden?" Tessa was becoming confused. Her hold on Cireth was slipping. Cireth bugled her challenge to her potential mates and soared high.

"I never felt right.." he said quietly, clasping her hand.

He took a breath, and continued "For the longest time I felt like I was only half there, I couldn't remember things I had done moments before, and I was always so weary...I know why now. I was living in two places at once for five years. I know here I've been gone an hour or so..but..I've actually been gone so much longer,"

All at once, Tessa understood. She relaxed, and became so exhilarated in the mating flight she didn't care anymore about T'rin's attitude. Everything made sense. It was just a shame that B'non wasn't there. She examined R'lons face for a moment. It was very relaxed, yet his eyes were so focused. She knew he was guiding Renath to claim Cireth. But Cireth wouldn't give in easily. She would climb high, then fold her wings and drop to mere dragonlengths above the ground, only to shoot up past the bronzes who desired her.

T'rin on the other hand, was biting his lip. One eye was squinted with the effort he was exerting towards his dragon. Managath managed to wrap his tail around one of Cireth's wings. She couldn't get away. But then came Renath on the other side, doing similarly, although his grip was stronger and he easily retrieved Cireth from Managath's grip. Managath bugled at Renath in protest. Cireth took the moment as well as she possibly could have. She freed herself and rose higher and higher, her lungs aching from the lack of air at high altitudes. Managath chased after her, almost matching her speed, he was stronger than Renath in many aspects, but Renath was much more experienced. Renath stayed back a bit, plotting his next move. When Cireth dropped again, Renath dropped after her, although he was slowing down. The age was showing through now, Renath could barely raise back up again. Managath chased wildly after Cireth, over shooting her and having to turn back around several times.

"The mating flight is too long," R'lon said

"She hasn't chosen her mate yet.." T'rin said, worried. His voice had gotten so much deeper and more mature that Tessa barely even recognized him.

A whoosh of icy air on her face told Tessa that a dragon had came from _between_. The dragon leapt over their heads and joined the chase..Tessa saw just the faintest glimpse of a brilliant earthy brown...Branath!

Renath and Managath were becoming extremely weary from the flight, Renath could barely even remain at a constant altitude, where as Managath was following far behind Cireth. Cireth too, was tired. She eyed Renath and Managath quickly. They were not possibly smart enough to catch her! Renath maybe, he was tricky but he was older and weak with age. Managath.. now he was a strong dragon. He hadn't much training or experience, and his rider had little control over him. Absorbed in her thoughts, she didn't see Branath coming from behind her. Something wrapped around her body tightly. She gave in, she was too tired to escape.

_It's about time you came_

A/N: there it is! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, as I truly enjoyed writing it!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N:Sorry about the delay. School can be a real distraction sometimes. Of course, it doesn't help when I got the writers itch for a new story, which I am refusing to post until I finish this off. So, here we go, chapter 11!

Tessa woke up the next morning in her weyr. She didn't know how she got there. She thought back to the mating flight the previous day. That's right..Branath had come at the last minute and claimed Cireth. She smiled. She stood up slowly and stretched out stiff limbs. She decided that today, she'd go visit B'non at Southern. She went to the lower caverns and perched herself on a stool. As if on cue, a lower caverns woman poured her some _klah _and handed her some bread. Tessa ate, but her mind wasn't on it. She was focusing on B'non. She hoped he was alright..it was a shame he wasn't there for the flight though. She smiled deviantly at the thought of how the night would have played out. She finished eating, and slipped into her riding gear. Cireth was up and waiting for Tessa. She had read Tessa's thoughts about seeing B'non. Branath had already returned to Southern.

"We'll fly straight just to be safe," Tessa smiled and patted her dragon before sliding ontop.

Cireth beat her wings strongly and launched out of the weyr bowl and headed south.

Cireth..did you call Branath to you?

_How could I? I was focused on the mating flight._

Tessa smiled. B'non had probably sent Branath on his own. She wondered for a long time what she would say to him, and decided on just asking him how he was feeling. Cireth set her down gently outside Southern Hold. Tessa walked in the infirmary and asked the lady in charge where B'non was.

"Room 45. He's awake now, I believe,"

"Thank you,"

Tessa walked down the hall, examining the numbers on the doors. She finally got to B'non's and stopped. She took a deep breath and knocked.

"Come in!"

She entered. B'non began to sit up, but she signaled for him to just relax.

"I'm so glad Branath came to fly Cireth!"

"I would never let any dragon but Branath fly her," he said, hoarsely. It was then he noticed that Tessa had a tear going down her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"nothing.. I'm just relieved to see that you're recovering,"

"A weyr needs a leader, doesn't it?" he laughed, which then turned to coughing.

"We need to move everyone to southern." she said, after a few moments of silence.

"Why?"

"I've seen the future.. and we just need to. Besides, if we move everyone to southern, we'll lose less people to the illness. It doesn't spread as easily down here, and if you do get sick you can recover much more quickly."

"It may not be a bad idea, after all. It's much easier to support people down here, with a continual growing season," B'non agreed.

"When you are well..we will begin the announcement,"

"The trick is, we can't create a panic," B'non added.

"I know. We should probably start expanding some of the holds down here, to accommodate the new comers."

"Let me worry about that. I'll meet with the Holders while I'm out with this god awful illness. You worry about talking to those in the North, suggesting if they wish to avoid the illness and succumbing to it, that they head south."

"Yes.." she said. "I will see you when you are well," with that, she kissed his forehead and left. It was fairly warm and feverish.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Here it is, Chapter 12! I'm really sorry this story took me over a year to finish. Here it is, the final chapter. After this there will be an epilogue, and that's it! Thank you everyone for staying with me! Enjoy!

Tessa took a deep breath before entering the room. In it sat the holders from the North. They all regarded her with a look of disdain for a moment, before they resumed to their own conversations.

"I would like your attention, please," She said politely.

"Yeah yeah! Get on with it! Why'd you want us here, anyways?" The Lord holder of Nabol said.

"The illness.. that's wiping out entire civilizations. There's a way to stop it." Tessa said quietly.

"How?" The Lord Holder of Benden asked, looking intrigued.

"The disease doesn't spread well in warmer climates, so by moving to.." Tessa continued, being interrupted.

"We aren't moving anywhere!" The holder of Fort yelled, cutting her off rudely.

"Yeah! We've spent thousands of years perfecting our holds, and you want us to abandon it on some flight of fancy?" The holder of Ruatha said.

"Suit yourselves. Do not come begging us dragonriders to move your decrepit, sick bodies when you change your minds." she said coolly, leaving the room.

Well, that didn't go as planned, she thought.

_They are foolish. Once the people here of the amazing recoveries of those who went South, they will travel on their own._

Tessa smiled. "You're right," she said to her dragon, "You are absolutely right," She went outside and mounted Cireth.

"How's B'non doing?" Tessa asked lightheartedly.

_Branath said he's doing much better. Today he's supposed to talk to the Lord Holder of Southern about letting northerners come there. He may not like it so much..if only he knew the true reason why we must move everyone South._

"No one knows but us, and we should keep it that way,"

_Are you certain we should hide it from B'non?_

"People don't like to know their futures, no matter how hard they try to conceal that fact. They don't want to know they are doomed, that their time is limited. They want to live in the dream that everything will be just fine..humans need security, Cireth." Tessa explained.

_Where are we going to now?_

"We should go to individual nomadic camps. Those who refuse to live in a hold. They may listen to us." Tessa suggested.

_For their sakes, they had best._

_ "Let's go! We'll avoid going between."_

_ Why? It's so early, I doubt it'll harm the eggs._

_ "We can never be too careful,"_

_ If you insist... _Cireth said, flying straight.

After a good amount of time, Tessa said, "Look there! A camp! Cireth, let's go down there," Cireth circled down and landed softly. Tessa slid off and waved a greeting at the concerned looking group.

"Weyrwoman..Tessa, was it? Is there something you need?" A man asked, stepping forward. He was most likely the leader of the group, Tessa observed.

"There's nothing I really want, but I'd like to inform you of something about the illness,"

"Oh? What is it?"

"It seems that, it doesn't survive well in warmer climates. I'm trying to get as many people as possible to where it's warmer to prevent huge losses,"

"I see..we've all already had it and recovered..except my daughter," the man said.

"She is ill?"

"She was the first to come down sick. She still hasn't recovered."

"How long has it been?"

"About two or three fortnights."

"She's in serious danger, then. She may end up having complications from being ill so long,"

"Could you.. take her to Southern? Please..she's my only child,"

"Of course," Tessa said, smiling warmly. He walked her over to his daughter, who was being carted by runnerbeasts. She was wrapped in many smiles. He picked her up.

"Nezri, you'll be okay now. The weyrwoman is going to take you to where you can recover better."

Tessa took a good look at the girl. She was obviously too ill to really respond. The man strapped her onto Cireth's harness before giving Tessa a sad look.

"Please..take care of her," he said.

"She'll be fine. Don't worry," Tessa said sliding onto Cireth.

_Shall we go between?_

"No. the shock of the cold will make her much worse. Let's fly straight"

_That's going to take forever._

"I know. But if we can instill some faith in the dragon riders, that we truly care and will go to any length for the people of Pern..then..maybe they will listen to us when they truly need to,"

_Something still worries me.._

"What is it?"

_In the future, Honshu was destroyed._

"I had almost forgotten," Tessa's brow furrowed in concentration.

_I don't know much about building structures, but it had to have taken a lot to collapse the stone like that._

"Your right, Cireth. I certainly do not like it one bit,"

_Just how far in the future were we?_

"I have absolutely no clue," Tessa replied, solemnly.

Tessa had been dozing lazily on Cireth's back when the dragon awoke her.

_We are here_

_ C_ireth circled down to southern hold slowly. By the time they landed, a few people had come out to greet them.

"What do we owe the pleasure of your visit to?" A woman asked.

"This girl is very sick. I was asked to bring her to where she could recuperate," Tessa said, lifting the small girl gingerly off of Cireth and handing her to a capable looking young man.

"Is there anything else you require?" The woman asked cordially.

"No," Tessa's voice was a little bit harsher than she would have liked, but it couldn't be helped. Her mind was elsewhere. Without even realizing where her legs were taking her she began walking. When she stopped, she was in front of the room where B'non was recuperating in. She chuckled inwardly before entering.

"How are you doing?" she asked quietly.

"Much better,"

She looked at him, he was sitting up in bed and gazing at her. She blushed meekly under his scrutiny.

"I'm glad. How long til your up and running again?" she asked, trying to sound like a proper weyrwoman.

"Oh I'm ready to go alright!" he said, leaping up suddenly, catching her by total surprise in a warm embrace. She smiled softly and relaxed in his show of affection.

"So how did the conference with the holders go?" He asked, trying to make conversation.

Tessa stared at the floor.

"Absolutely awful," She said, unmoving.

"Bah! Don't worry about them. It'd take threadfall for them to change their minds on anything," he joked.

"B'non..that's really not funny," she said quietly.

"I know..sorry. It's just.. You looked like you thought it was your fault they didn't want to be a part of our plan," He tried to comfort her.

"Maybe it is," She sighed softly.

"Tessa..if there's anyone that could get into those numbskull's heads, it'd be you,"

A soft presence at her mouth alerted her that he was having physical contact with her. She nearly gasped when he pulled away, anxious for more. Those days in another time..alone with only Cireth.. she still felt lonely from it. Even though she wasn't alone anymore, she often felt like she very much was. Sensing her disappointment, B'non kissed her again. Her hand slid it's way up to his cheek. She felt a strong arm around her back, pulling her closer. His other hand was now slipping through her hair gently. She strongly desired this moment to last forever. His loving embrace, his lips pressed against hers, the gentle warmth and protection he offered, she didn't want it to go. Not ever. Eventually, they pulled away, smiling at each other.

"Tessa, I love you,"

Their moment was rudely caught short when Aniceth appeared above them, squawking loudly. The little queen dropped a piece of paper before flitting off, most likely to play in the water with Cireth. She unfolded the parchment carefully, and a smile crept across her face as she read the cryptic message:

Benden will follow gold.

"What's it say?" B'non asked eagerly.

"Looks like I made an impression after all," she smiled wide, handing the paper to B'non. Once he read and decoded the message, he lifted her up and spun her around.

"Once we get Benden, a few others may listen to us as well!" He said excitedly before slipping into a coughing fit.

"Calm down before you kill yourself. Sheesh," She rolled her eyes at his childish outburst.

"Okay.." B'non said, sitting on the bed.

"I'm going back to the weyr to sort things out. I will see you when your better?" Tessa asked.

"Sure. I'll be ready to go back soon." B'non said happily.

"Until then..." she said, giving him a gentle kiss and walking outside. She slid easily onto Cireth's back and they began their journey back to Benden Weyr.

"I hope.. the future we saw.. is distant enough for us to evacuate everyone." Tessa said to Cireth.

_We cannot know for certain, but we should take comfort in the fact that in the future, we did not see anyone. We didn't see any runnerbeasts out exchanging news between halls. If there we gathers, we would have known from the large masses of people traveling. Instead, we saw absolutely nothing. Perhaps, it can be assumed that we managed to get everyone into a safer place?_

"You're right, Cireth." Tessa said smiling.

_Do cheer up... I do not like it when you are upset._

"Sorry. I just have this dark feeling like something is going to happen." Tessa explained.

_Whatever it is...I'm sure we can get through it together._

Tessa patted Cireth's neck affectionately. Sure, being a dragonrider was difficult, but she wouldn't give it up for the world.

As the weeks and months passed by, Tessa and B'non managed to convince most of those in Benden to move to southern. Those who were living in Benden were divided into three places; Honshu, which had grown to encompass the surrounding area, Landing, which was now the main hold in the south, and of course Southern Hold. Unfortunately, the lord Holder of Fort was giving Tessa and B'non an incredibly difficult time with allowing his people to move south, as evidenced by his actions at the meeting they were currently in. Tessa sighed in exasperation.

"Why does it matter if people move South?" Sarol, Lord Holder of Fort demanded.

"The climate is much preferred for overcoming illness, Lord Holder." Tessa said politely.

"Who cares? Those who were too weak to overcome it are dead anyways." Sarol argued.

"With all due respect, in your hold nearly a thousand died. What will you do when illness strikes again?" B'non said tactfully.

"Again? What do you mean again!? Plagues and Influenza don't go around that often!" Sarol spat.

"Usually, no. But the increasingly cramped quarters are spreading things faster than they used to. Why not start your own hold in the south? It's much easier to come up with enough food to feed everyone when there is no bitter cold season where crops cannot be harvested." Tessa said.

"Everyone gets fed just fine at Fort Hold." Sarol said. Tessa took note that his chin couldn't get any higher.

"If you say so. But do remember, Lord Holder Sarol, if something happens, the dragonriders will not be able to help you. We are positioning in the South, where the majority of the Pernese people are. Benden has been divided among Honshu, Southern and Landing. It's much easier to help protect people when they are within a shorter distance." B'non stated.

"We don't need your help," Sarol spat, "We haven't needed your help for a millenia!"

_Slam_

Tessa managed not to wince as she pounded her fists on the table. Her anger with this unreasonable man had reached it's limit.

"Suit yourself." she said, walking out. B'non followed close behind her. Once outside, she sighed.

"Tessa, we did our best.." B'non said gently.

"I know..but it's just not good enough,"

"Why is it exactly that we want everyone South? Most are already moved, and I'm certain others will come down before too long, so what's the rush?" B'non asked.

"I just...have a feeling.. that the Northern lands are no longer safe, that is all." Tessa said. She desperately wanted to tell him the truth, that the North will become barren...but she couldn't. She knew this was her burden alone to bear.

"Tessa, I believe in you. I also believe that no matter what happens, everything will be okay."

"Thank you." She said, leaning against him. He embraced her briefly.

"Let's go back to the weyr." B'non suggested. Tessa merely nodded in response and climbed onto Cireth.

Weeks passed quickly. The movement south slowed to a stop. It was a typical morning, Tessa was in the lower caverns enjoying a meal with B'non when an alarmed fire lizard popped in from _between_ over her head. She recognized it was belonging to the holder of Honshu.

"What's going on!?" She yelled, leaping up. She contacted Cireth to get the images from the frantic fire lizard. Cireth projected the image to her. Tessa saw three men with bundles near a support column. They placed the bundles down, lighting a fuse. They hurried out. Seconds later a loud bang was heard, as Honshu collapsed on itself.

"Let's go! We have to help them! B'non, get on Branath and find the three that did this!" Tessa ordered. B'non nodded and raced outside.

Tessa contacted Managath mentally, telling him that they'd need all the help they could get. Tessa was slipping on her riding gear when she heard footsteps behind her. She whirled around and saw T'rin, who took no time in getting his gear on and slipping onto Managath.

"Cireth..have Amarth and Perzenth accompany us! We're going to Honshu!" Tessa ordered.

Cireth let out a rumble, and soon after Amarth and Perzenth were stirring from where they had been napping. Tessa slipped onto Cireth's back and they climbed high above the bowl. She saw Branath take off and go _between,_ in a hurry to catch the culprits before they could escape. Tessa sent Amarth, Perzenth and Managath the mental image of Honshu, and the three dragons blinked _between_.

**Black  
Blacker**

**Blackest**

Tessa gasped at the site. Honshu had completely collapsed on itself.

"Amarth, Perzenth, search for survivors! T'rin, you and Managath start digging them out! I'm going to Southern Hold to request assistance." Tessa barked out the orders, a spitting image of Lessa herself. Lessa, Tessa thought, what would you do in this situation?

Soon, Tessa and Cireth were above Southern. Cireth landed quickly, not caring if she disturbed people. Tessa slipped off and raced into the main hall, where there was a long line of people waiting to inform the Lord Holder of their requests. Tessa pushed past them, receiving angry glares.

"Lord Holder of Southern, Honshu has been attacked. We have yet to understand who did it, or why, but I come here in ask of assistance to help get the survivors out. Will you spare volunteers?" Tessa asked, bowing to show respect.

"Rise, weyrwoman! You need not bow before me! I will send out the watchwhers and those bound to them to assist you." The Holder said.

"Thank you." Tessa said, spinning around to leave.

"When you find out who is at the heart of this, please inform me!" The holder called to her retreating back. She did not give a response, but intended to inform all of Pern about the attack, anyways.

Tessa slipped onto Cireth's back once she was outside. Cireth made a large circle on their way back to Honshu, in case they could spot the culprits. No such luck. They watched the recovery effort from above. Every time someone was pulled out they were placed on dragonback and flown straight to Southern Hold for medical care. Tessa sighed, the site was depressing. Something nagged in the back of her mind, however. She remembered when she had gone into the future and seen Honshu collapsed. Cold fear overcame her. That time was coming. She desperately needed answers.

"Cireth, let's go to landing."

_Why?_

"That is where we will find answers." Tessa explained,

Before long, Cireth was landing gently outside of the old AIVAS building. People scarcely went in there now, only when in search of information. Landing was fairly populated now, predominantly by those interested in learning about the dormant volcanoes. Tessa searched through the records, all on the expensive white pressed paper. There had to be some mention of why the North was made barren by the odd device. She picked up the most recent records printed by AIVAS before it shut down, and began reading them. For the most part, it was dull things- who asked what questions and that sort. Then she came across something.

Record of incoming message from Earth:

In search of planet to colonize. If you are there, REPLY. If you do not comply within a week, we shall recreate Earth on Pern, down to the grasses.

Tessa could barely decipher it, as Pernese had evolved very differently from the Earthen language, but she understood the general drift. Was this..why? But, this was nearly 1,000 years ago! She concentrated deep in thought, remembering an old teaching ballad.

_From the distant stars we came_

_ A dying planet is our mother_

_ We slept for many ages_

_ Before reaching here,_

_ Pern, our fresh start..._

Tessa knew for certain there were lines missing in her memory, and for the life of her couldn't remember the second stanza. But now it made sense. It had taken them 1,000 years to get to Pern. Now they intended to take it back. But, why didn't someone reply? This bothered Tessa greatly. She shook her head to clear her doubts from her mind and walked outside.

_Tessa!_

"What is it?" Tessa asked Cireth.

_Above us.._

Tessa craned her neck up to see what Cireth was talking about. In the far distance, a silver object reflected the sun brilliantly.

"No.." Tessa's voice had the force of a scream, but came out as a whisper.

_What shall we do?_

"I...I don't know! It's coming fast..we have..to stop it from reaching here.."

_If we had firestone, I could burn it out of the sky..._

"But we don't! And we're running out of time!" Tessa climbed onto Cireth's back.

Cireth rose high into the sky.

"Can we destroy it before it reaches the ground?" Tessa asked.

_Worth a try.._

Cireth let out a loud bugle, a battle cry as she tried to rip the device to pieces. It was harder than most rocks, and she couldn't even dent it.

"Now what?" Tessa asked.

_There is a way to make it disappear.._

"There is no other way, is there Cireth?"

_Not that we have time for..._

"I love you Cireth."

_I love you, too._

Cireth latched tightly onto the threatening silver object with her wings.

**Black**

**Blacker**

**Blackest**

Branath let out a painful cry, quickly followed by the other dragons.

"TESSA!" B'non yelled, knowing in his heart what had happened.


	13. Dragon's End

A/N: This is the last part of this story, a concluding poem that will forever be immortalized on the planet of Pern. I really like this as an ending, so try not to flame me too much ;)

Dragon's End

Illness spanning hold and hall,

A lone weyr remains

Dragons await, but not for Fall

A haunting peril from afar;

The strength in dragon's musn't fail!

Golden hide enshrouded in darkness

Night's silence pierced by dragon's wail

Long lost in the black between

Will rest Pern's final queen

In the distance a lonely dragon's creen

Marks forth, the end of an era

Guardians gone, unneeded.

A bronze figure rises high in the night.

Gone- mourning it's queen.

Forever remember, prices paid

In human life, and dragon hide

Do not forget the lives that were saved

By dangers that were dragon braved

Like parents, the guardians fade

As Pern matures and comes of age

Goodbye, good souls and brave hearts,

All the weyrs are now abandoned

Void of life, Dragon's End.


End file.
